Protecting garment



G. A. SELKIRK PROTECTING GARMENT Filed Aug. 14, 1947 July 25, 1950 g NAN,

Patented July 25, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE:l

` 2,516,598 PROTECTING GARMENT George Selkirk, Rochester, N. Y. Application August 14, 1947, Serial No. 768,534

4 Claims.

This invention relates to personnel protecting garments, particularly those adapted to be worn over a baseball players uniform for use during practice sliding. Garments of the type contemplated herein will not only protect a player from injury, but will likewise serve as a padding to protect existing injuries, and protect the uniform against soiling.

A review of existing protective garments of this class would indicate them to be too local in their coverage on the one hand, or excessively restrictive to the movements of the wearer on the others. Garments of the category contemplatedherein have been conceived with the objective of affording a maximum degree of protection to the parts of the body and uniform most likely to engage the ground, and at the same time maintain restriction to movement of the wearer at a minimum.

The protective garment or slide harness according to this invention comprises a waist embracing portion and portions depending therefrom to regions below the knees of the wearer, the depending portions having areas for covering the buttocks, hips, portions of the thig-hs, and

4knee caps, these depending portions being distinuous ventrally from the abdominal region to regions above the knees, and dorsally below the buttocks. The various portions of the garment are preferably padded and the padding may be increased at those regions requiring more frequent protection. The garment is preferably constructed from a pair of members, which may be substantially similar in form, separably joined together with means for adjusting the various parts to conform with the size requirements of the wearer. The waist embracing portion may be adjusted ventrally while the thigh and knee portions may be adjusted dorsally. And adjustable securing means may extend throughout the major dorsal portion of the garment and may assume the form of lacing extending downwardly from the waist embracing portion to an extent desired for best conforming the garment to the wearer.

A more complete understanding of the invention will follow from a description of the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one of the members of the pair used in producing the garment;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the assembled garment as worn;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation based upon Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation based upon the showing of Fig. 2.

The member depicted in Fig. '1 of the drawings 2 is intended to cover the left side of a wearer and is substantially a counterpart ofl themember applied to the right side. The member I0 provides a waist engaging portion I2 defined by a concave upper edge I4 terminated at its forward portion by a short downwardly directed edge I6 bearing buckles .I8 secured to the .body of this portion by means of straps 20. The outstanding diierence between the members constituting the pair is the provision of straps 22 insteadfof the buckles on the cooperating member. AThe upper edge I4 is terminated rearwardly at its intersection with the downwardly inclined dorsal edge 24, adjacent to which and over a major portion thereof, eyelets 26 are provided. The dorsal edge 24 merges into a curved edge 28'which joins a substantially horizontal edge 30'constituting the lowermost rear portion of the 'garment which extends to a point slightly below the buttocks of the wearer.

This lower edge 30 extends forwardly to `intersect the downwardly directed edge 32 ofthe thigh portion of the garment which is in turn terminated at its intersection with a substantially horizontal edge 34 defining the lowermost portion of the garment which extends below the knee cap of the wearer. This lowermost edgef34 `extends forwardly and then rearwardly to cover the fore part of the thigh to lintersectan ',upwardly directed edge 36 which extends to a point intermediate of the thigh to join an edge 38 inclined forwardly and upwardly to meet a substantially vertical edge 40 delimiting the forward portion of the thigh engaging area and curving reversely to join the edge I6 of the waist engaging portion.

Spaced buckles 42 are attached to the inner edges 36 of the thigh and foreleg engaging portions of the garment by suitable means such as loops 44, and correspondingly spaced Webs or straps 46 are secured to the outer edges 32 of the thigh and foreleg engaging portions, serving to secure this portion of the garment to each leg of the wearer in an adjustable fashion, providing a snug t at a requisite number of points both above and below the knees.

The garment has been depicted as being of substantially quilted form, characterized by the usual intersecting rows of stitches, with suitable padding, not shown in detail, interposed between the facing elements from which the garment is fabricated. The padding may be uniform or increased at such regions as the hips and knees at which impact and abrasion are most frequent- 1y encountered.

The members l0 from which the completed garment is constructed are connected dorsally by means of a tape 5D threaded through the two sets of eyelets 26, facilitating adjustment of the garment to accommodate the :breadth of various wearers. Since the two members will normally remain interconnected by such a tape or lacing, the garment can be applied quite rapidly by fastening the straps 22 and buckles I8 at the waist and theis'traps `lili and buckles 42 aboutthe legs.

Garments of the type proposed herein have been constructed satisfactorily by interposing white felt padding of ve eighths inch thickness in the hip areas and of one quarter'inchthicb ness in the knee areas, between a heavy canvas facing and an unbleached cotton lining. After cutting the lining and facinggportions tosize, the padding is inserted and secured by rows of intersecting stitching spaced by approximatelyone and one fourth inches, the knee portion being ldarted:externallytwithfthelining. gathered within. imiter-garment Vmay gbe :edged with a twill lbinding Aand the buckles straps and eyelets .secured in .a ssuitablezmanner.

:been ,described rin fdetail, variations within the concept cf l,this invention will suggest themselves to sis-hose A,skilled in the 'art 4as they fhave been lrrecognizedalreadyby the present inventor, 4and zaccordinglyithe inventionzshould not be restricted :in scope beyond the 4terms :of lthe :appended claims '1. Apersonnel iprotecting garment r`for lcmfering fthe ibuttocks, hips, zportions of rthezthighs, and :knee caps, comprising a @pair of members each vhaving Va waist engaging rapper edge and .fa 4cle- -,depending :portion forwardlyloiiset with respect vce to said upper edge; each of said depending portions having a lower edge extending below the knee of the wearer, a forward edge recessed rearwardly to dene a ventral gap from the abdominal region to a region above the knee of the wearer, and a rear edge recessed forwardly to dene a dorsal gap downwardly from the buttocks of the wearer.

3. Apersonnel protecting garment for covering :the buttockshpsfportions of the thighs, and knee caps, comprising a pair of members each having a waist engaging upper edge, adjusting -means for said upper edge, a depending portion forwardlyvoffset with respect to each upper edge, and adjusting means for said depending portions; said depending portions having lower edges-extending ,below the knees of the wearer, forward edges recessed rearwardly to dene a ventral gap from the abdominal region to regions above the knees of the wearer, and rear edges recessed :forwardly `to denne .-:a `dorsal vgap downwardlyfromfthezbuttocks of the-wearer.

-.4. personnel protecting garment for covering -the lbuttocks, lhips, portions of .the thighs, and :knee caps, comprising'apair of substantially similar .members separably connected, leach member having a waist.engaging upper edge and adepending portion forwardly oisetwithrespectto said upper edge; and adjustable :securingfmeans lor` connecting. said members-said. depending, por- -tions :having lower fedges extending foelow .the .knees cfzthev wearer, forward, edges recessed rearwardly :to ,f define .a :ventral :gap :from the abdom- Ainal region :to reg-ions .above the .knees of the (wearer, :and-rearedges recessed forwardly toxic- ;nea dorsalgaprdownwardly from the buttocks Aof theuwearer.

GEGRGE A. SELKIRK.

REFERENCES CIT-ED The following references are vof record in the le of this patent:

'UNITED STATES 'PATENTS 

